Is anime studio the best program for drawing characters?

Kayoda_Zender · Post by **Kayoda_Zender** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:06 am

I Need some help whats the best program to use for drawing characters Anime studio or use Flash Photoshop and import the image in?

Squeakydave · Post by **Squeakydave** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:35 pm

Anime Studio is good for tracing. In fact in a lot of cases it is best to trace your characters in AS in order that you get nice clean bone transformations in your animation.

You can import AI files but due to the way AS works you will probably need a bit of clean - up work. (Tip - Export your AI character as lots of AI files - One for each arm etc. Also export it as a bitmap and use that as a tracing image. That way you can see what needs tidying easily)

If you are Animating bitmaps then you can draw in anything that exports PNG's with alpha channels.

For roughs I use TVPaint because I love the feel of the brushes and also Biro on scraps of paper which I photograph using my phone and then trace over.
With drawing the most important thing is to use an app (or real world media) that feels right to you. Don't let anyone (even Me

) tell you what to use.

mkelley · Post by **mkelley** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:51 pm

Dave's advice is spot on.

In addition, let me say that I used to use Adobe Illustrator all the time (for nearly a decade) and after I started using AS and made a dedicated effort to learn the drawing tools I'm sold on it now. I don't think there's anything better out there.

But it does take some time to get used to them -- I'd give it at least three or four days before you "get it". After that nothing will stop you.

Squeakydave · Post by **Squeakydave** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:01 pm

I agree!
My tips for tracing are to go quiskly 'round the shapes and then go back and adjust the curves with the adjust curve tool - keyboard shortcut 't' for tweak.
After that add points if you need them.

If you do want to go the 'Illustrator' route I use Xara xtreme. It is way fast and is a pleasure to use - in a vectory sort of way. Give it a try.

Kayoda_Zender · Post by **Kayoda_Zender** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:32 pm

mkelley wrote:Dave's advice is spot on.

In addition, let me say that I used to use Adobe Illustrator all the time (for nearly a decade) and after I started using AS and made a dedicated effort to learn the drawing tools I'm sold on it now. I don't think there's anything better out there.

But it does take some time to get used to them -- I'd give it at least three or four days before you "get it". After that nothing will stop you.

Thanks mkelley i will differently try that.

Kayoda_Zender · Post by **Kayoda_Zender** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:33 pm

Squeakydave wrote:I agree!
My tips for tracing are to go quiskly 'round the shapes and then go back and adjust the curves with the adjust curve tool - keyboard shortcut 't' for tweak.
After that add points if you need them.

If you do want to go the 'Illustrator' route I use Xara xtreme. It is way fast and is a pleasure to use - in a vectory sort of way. Give it a try.

Squeakydave thanks i will try the tracing idea to.

mkelley · Post by **mkelley** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:06 pm

Another tip for tracing (or for even creating your own original drawings) -- draw a basic oval and add points to it (using the "A" key) and transform them around (using the "T" key) as well as adjust the curves (using the "C") key.

It's kind of like skulpting, and I'm sold on it. If you are tracing it's easy to fit the shape to the thing you're tracing, and if you're creating something new the shape will take shape before your eyes (like skulpting with clay).

This is the method I use for about 95% of all my drawing now (it came from an online tutorial about creating a gladiator -- you'll find it on the eFrontier site). The other 5% is using the freehand tool to create some interior lines, but overall using the skulpt method is amazingly fast and results in excellent shapes.

macaye · Post by **macaye** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 4:37 am

mkelley wrote:after I started using AS and made a dedicated effort to learn the drawing tools I'm sold on it now. I don't think there's anything better out there.

I found AS's drawing tools fine for tracing, but for drawing with a Wacom I found that the pressure sensitive tool need to be refined.

I remember that somewhere on the forum, there were tip about downloading some scripts to make the AS drawing tools work a little more intuitively. Are these really needed? If so, can anybody tell me what they are and where to get them?

Ta.

Mac

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:24 pm

macaye wrote:I remember that somewhere on the forum, there were tip about downloading some scripts to make the AS drawing tools work a little more intuitively. Are these really needed? If so, can anybody tell me what they are and where to get them?

i suppose you refer to fazek's tools. you can download them here. and yes, i think this tools becomes a need for as users.

macaye · Post by **macaye** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:19 pm

selgin wrote: i suppose you refer to fazek's tools. you can download them here. and yes, i think this tools becomes a need for as users.

Thanks for the link.

There is a lot of discussion in that thread about various options. Anyone have any advice on which tools are most essential & the best way to set them up?

Thanks again

Mac